Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Optics Express

Storage and retrieval of ghost images in hot atomic vapor

Young‐Wook Cho, Joo-Eon Oh, Yoon-Ho Kim

Published Feb 24, 2012• 23 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Ghost imaging is an imaging technique in which the image of an object is revealed only in the correlation measurement between two beams of light, whereas the individual measurements contain no imaging information. Here, we experimentally demonstrate storage and retrieval of ghost images in hot atomic rubidium vapor. Since ghost imaging requires (quantum or classical) multimode spatial correlation between two beams of light, our experiment shows that the spatially multimode correlation, a second-order correlation property of light, can indeed be preserved during the storage-retrieval process. Our work, thus, opens up new possibilities for quantum and classical two-photon imaging, all-optical image processing, and quantum communication.

DOI
10.1364/oe.20.005809

Related papers

Coherent storage of ghost images in hot atomic vapor

Young‐Wook Cho, Joo-Eon Oh, Yoon-Ho Kim

We demonstrate the storage and retrieval of ghost images in hot atomic vapor. Our experiment shows that the spatially multimode correlation, a second-order property of light, can indeed be preserved during the storage-retrieval process.

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Pacific Rim (CLEO-PR)•Jun 1, 2013•0 citations

Ghost imaging with zero photons

Meixue Chen, Yiqi Song, Yu Gu +8 more

Ghost imaging was first demonstrated with entangled photon pairs and well-known for its peculiar properties. The signal beam that illuminates the object possesses no spatial resolution, whereas the reference beam, which never interacts with the object, is spatially resolved. Either beam alone cannot retrieve the image, which can only be obtained when the signal and reference beams are correlated. Here we will report a ghost imaging experiment with even more peculiar properties, in which the image can be reconstructed when no photon interacts with the object or even no photon in neither signal nor reference beam. All the photons interacted with the object are discarded. Only the time bins with zero photon are employed to retrieve the image, a process referred to as "ghost imaging with zero photons" hereafter. The reason why ghost image can be retrieved with zero photons is jointly determined by photon-number projection measurement and photon statistics of thermal light. The results are helpful to resolve the debate on the physics of ghost imaging and understand the relation between quantum and classical correlations.

quant-pharXiv:2604.07782•Physical Review A•Apr 10, 2026•1 citation

Resolution enhancement of ghost imaging in atom vapor

Mingtao Cao, Xin Yang, Jinwen Wang +4 more

Ghost imaging is an imaging technique in which the image of an object is revealed only in the correlation measurement between two beams of light, whereas the individual measurements contain no imaging information. Normally, the resolution of the image, which even exceeds the Rayleigh limit, is shown to be related to the transverse coherent length (lc) of the speckle pattern. In this Letter, we demonstrate experimentally that the speckle size can be compressed by a coherent population trapping (CPT) process in atom vapor, and the resolution of GI can be greatly enhanced by the CPT process. The technique we exploit is quite efficient and robust, and it may be useful in the field of quantum and classical two-photon imaging, all-optical image processing, and quantum communication.

Optics Letters•Nov 10, 2016•9 citations

Storage and Retrieval of Multimode Transverse Images in Hot Atomic Rubidium Vapor

Praveen K. Vudyasetu, Ryan M. Camacho, John C. Howell

We report on the experimental realization of the storage of images in a hot vapor of Rubidium atoms. The images are stored in and retrieved from the long-lived ground state atomic coherences. We show that an image impressed onto a 500 ns pulse can be stored and retrieved up to 30 mus later. The image storage is made robust to diffusion by storing the Fourier transform of the image.

Physical Review Letters•Mar 26, 2008•136 citations

Storage and retrieval of images in hot atomic Rubidium vapor

Praveen K. Vudyasetu, Ryan M. Camacho, John C. Howell

We demonstrate four wave mixing and electromagnetically induced transparency mediated storage of multimode transverse images carried by optical pulses in hot atomic Rubidium vapor and show that the images retrieved are robust to diffusion.

Slow and Fast Light (SL)•Jan 1, 2008•0 citations

Heralded single-photon ghost imaging

Reuben S. Aspden, D. S. Tasca, Robert W. Boyd +1 more

Correlated-photon imaging, popularly known as ghost imaging, is a technique whereby an image is formed from light that has never interacted with the object. In ghost imaging experiments two correlated light fields are produced. One of these fields illuminates the object, and the other field is measured by a spatially resolving detector. In the quantum regime, these correlated light fields are produced by entangled photons created by spontaneous parametric down-conversion. To date, all correlated-photon ghost-imaging experiments have scanned a single-pixel detector through the field of view to obtain the spatial information. However, scanning leads to a poor sampling efficiency, which scales inversely with the number of pixels, N, in the image. In this work we overcome this limitation by using a time-gated camera to record the single-photon events across the full scene. We obtain high-contrast images, 90%, in either the image plane or the far-field of the photon pair source, taking advantage of the EPR-like correlations in position and momentum of the photon pairs. Our images contain a large number of modes, >500, creating opportunities in low-light-level imaging and in quantum information processing.

•Dec 20, 2012•1 citation
Ghost imaging is an imaging technique in which the image of an object is revealed only in the correlation measurement between two beams of light, whereas the individual measurements contain no imaging information. Here, we experimentally demonstrate storage and retrieval of ghost images in hot atomic rubidium vapor. Since ghost imaging requires (quantum or classical) multimode spatial correlation between two beams of light, our experiment shows that the spatially multimode correlation, a second-order correlation property of light, can indeed be preserved during the storage-retrieval process. Our work, thus, opens up new possibilities for quantum and classical two-photon imaging, all-optical image processing, and quantum communication.
Ghost imaging was first demonstrated with entangled photon pairs and well-known for its peculiar properties. The signal beam that illuminates the object possesses no spatial resolution, whereas the reference beam, which never interacts with the object, is spatially resolved. Either beam alone cannot retrieve the image, which can only be obtained when the signal and reference beams are correlated. Here we will report a ghost imaging experiment with even more peculiar properties, in which the image can be reconstructed when no photon interacts with the object or even no photon in neither signal nor reference beam. All the photons interacted with the object are discarded. Only the time bins with zero photon are employed to retrieve the image, a process referred to as "ghost imaging with zero photons" hereafter. The reason why ghost image can be retrieved with zero photons is jointly determined by photon-number projection measurement and photon statistics of thermal light. The results are helpful to resolve the debate on the physics of ghost imaging and understand the relation between quantum and classical correlations.
Ghost imaging is an imaging technique in which the image of an object is revealed only in the correlation measurement between two beams of light, whereas the individual measurements contain no imaging information. Normally, the resolution of the image, which even exceeds the Rayleigh limit, is shown to be related to the transverse coherent length (lc) of the speckle pattern. In this Letter, we demonstrate experimentally that the speckle size can be compressed by a coherent population trapping (CPT) process in atom vapor, and the resolution of GI can be greatly enhanced by the CPT process. The technique we exploit is quite efficient and robust, and it may be useful in the field of quantum and classical two-photon imaging, all-optical image processing, and quantum communication.
Correlated-photon imaging, popularly known as ghost imaging, is a technique whereby an image is formed from light that has never interacted with the object. In ghost imaging experiments two correlated light fields are produced. One of these fields illuminates the object, and the other field is measured by a spatially resolving detector. In the quantum regime, these correlated light fields are produced by entangled photons created by spontaneous parametric down-conversion. To date, all correlated-photon ghost-imaging experiments have scanned a single-pixel detector through the field of view to obtain the spatial information. However, scanning leads to a poor sampling efficiency, which scales inversely with the number of pixels, N, in the image. In this work we overcome this limitation by using a time-gated camera to record the single-photon events across the full scene. We obtain high-contrast images, 90%, in either the image plane or the far-field of the photon pair source, taking advantage of the EPR-like correlations in position and momentum of the photon pairs. Our images contain a large number of modes, >500, creating opportunities in low-light-level imaging and in quantum information processing.